A Found Letter, a Secret Love and Fireworks
by xx.billvy.xx
Summary: Sorry about the previous one... wrong... Mikan finds a letter supposedly addressed to her, and supposedly from Natsume... but... what the! Why are you acting that way? hmmm... NxM and another NxM... hmm... who could the other pair be?.... hahaha
1. Chapter 1

"It's there! Up there! Hurry Koko!" Mikan screamed.

"Ano... Mikan, how'd it end up there?" Koko asked.

"Just hurry!"

"Why do you want it back anyway?

"Just get it!"

"It's just a scrap of paper, why do you want i..."

"SHUT UP AND TAKE IT!"

"Okay, okay." Koko reached into the trees branches and took the paper.

"OW!!! MIKAN!!! I'M STUCK!!!"

"GIVE IT TO ME!!!"

Koko dropped the paper and struggled to get himself free off of the clinging arms of the tree.

"Thanks Koko!!!" she ran with the paper clutched tightly in her hand.

"WAIT!!! MIKAN!!!! MIKAN!!!! HELP!!!"

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Mikan rushed into her room. she sat down on the bed and clutched the paper, hung on to it like dear life, or something even more precious. To her, the paper was more precious than her life--way much more precious.

It flew out of her hands in the garden that morning, and she had cried--but enough of that. The only thing important was that she had it back--that's all, nothing more.

She cried out of relief that she had it. It'll never get lost again--never. And she'll never let it out of her sight again--never.

"It's mine... all mine..." she muttered to herself as she gripped the paper tightly, tears flowing down her cheeks.

Now 17, she understood what she felt--took her long enough. Why she had blushed when he looked at her, why goose bumps seared up her arm when his hand brushed against hers, why her heart thumped louder and faster when he was around, she now knew. Simple signs, and for a complete idiot like Mikan, it took her 7 years.

It was finally back in her hands. That piece of paper she had found lying on the ground near the sakura tree, the sakura tree she loved sharing with him. It had to from him, right? This couldn't just be a coincidence. If it was, it would be the finest and most ridiculous coincidence, since it would make a 17 year old brunette bawl and gauge her eyes out at the disappointment and embarrassment she would cause herself in doing so. No, it couldn't be a coincidence. It was way much simpler and needed only four words to explain the situation. It was from him.

Her hands trembled as she took the paper and carefully straightened it. What a shame, it was creased. It didn't matter to her. As long as she could still read it, that was fine. And so, for the umpteenth time she read it, slowly, silently.

_**M,**_

_**It may be hard for me to say this, but since I've started writing this damn letter anyway, I'll get along and say it...**_

_**No. Wait. Let me put it this way, acting cool and casual, silent and cold, but I say, this was my only way of protecting you, from the horrors you did not need to see--did not need to know.**_

_**It wasn't fair of me to act that way, but circumstances have pushed me to go against my will and I am terribly sorry.**_

_**I will not beat around the bush any further, I'll swallow all the pride I have in me and say...**_

_**I LOVE YOU...**_

_**N**_

Her heart beat faster, faster than the fastest it ever had. She held her breath and looked at the letter on top; M, it had to be Mikan, then the one on the bottom; N, definitely Natsume. Short, it may have been, but right now it meant the world to the brunette who continued to cry out of relief and excitement.

The letter, it did not seem to reflect Natsume at all. A letter? From a cold-hearted moronic pervert who called her strawberries? A letter? From the boy who so often tried to burn her tresses?! A letter... from the fiery eyed boy, with stunning black hair and God-sent features that had captivated Mikan's heart... A letter, from the topnotcher bishounen whom she adored, this was all that filled her mind.

And not just any letter, a letter that had been of a confession. A confession? From the guy who was cold-hearted and cruel to almost everyone? A confession? From the guy who never once took notice of her feelings? A confession, that said he was sorry for acting such. A confession, that would make any girl smile and cry at the same time. A confession saying the feeling was mutual. Yes, this was it.

She looked out the window and up at the stars. She smiled and stayed motionless for quite a while. She stared longingly at the stars, the stars that had given her comfort. The stars that helped regenerate her broken spirit. Helped lift up her unhappy disposition and made her think of happy times. But now, she looked at them for a different reason. She was happy, and tears of joy filled her eyes. It's what she had been waiting for, and she slept soundly with a smile on her face.


	2. Chapter 2

Hi there...this is my first fanfiction...well the first that i posted here anyway...if you could kindly R&R then I'd be grateful...

A big shout out to sonya sison...hi beshy!!! (Wait...am I allowed to do that?) Enjoy!!

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Mikan woke up feeling all giddy, a smile still plastered on her face. She got up to prepare for another day of school. Up until yesterday she hardly did anything special when preparing for school, but now she took a small tube shaped item from her dresser and applied some of the liquid from it onto her lips.

She looked at herself in the mirror and combed her hair down. She combed her hair over and over and over. "I want to look good... for him..." she muttered as she continued to comb her hair. Her brunette hair that he had often burned and tried to burn, it was usually up in ponytails. The ponytails which she dangled form side to side to catch his attention but never did. And yet, here she was putting her hair down. She had never done it before, and now she was. She did not need to dangle her hair on front of him any longer. And that made her happy.

She looked at the clock on her dresser; 7:50. "I'm going to be late!" normally, she'd run as fast as she could to the classroom. But it wasn't necessary--no, she couldn't. Proper women shouldn't act that way. Women with dignity needed to walk with poise and pride. This would surely impress Natsume.

And so she walked slowly, her head held up high, like a princess would walk. And she did look like a princess. She was beautiful, and her flowing hair made her look royal. She kept glancing at her watch though. She hated to be late. "I want to look good... for him..." she told herself again as she clutched the paper that was folded neatly and placed in her pocket. She'd never let it go.

She finally reached the door to their classroom. She looked down at her watch; 8:10. She held her head even higher and walked into the room.

"Mikan, you're late." Mr. Narumi said as she walked in. Mikan paid no attention to him and searched the room for the familiar jet-black hair. "There." she noted mentally as she caught a glimpse of him at the last row.

Mr. Narumi had noticed this. "Mikan, you're late." he repeated. Mikan looked at him and her eyes widened a bit, but noticing this was Mr. Narumi they went back to their normal size. He was wearing a Peter Pan costume. "I'm sorry." She said and bowed her head. "Mikan, you've been late for four consecutive days, what wild things are you up to?" he asked playfully.

"I want to look good, for him..." she said to herself.

She was about to sit down and ignore this statement, but intelligent women need their wits about them. They've got to shoot back at any incoming attack and protect themselves. Mr. Narumi had fired at her, and she had a comeback anyway. Wise women think before they act, but don't they say something when they do have something to say? They do, don't they? "It'll impress him." Mikan muttered.

"What was that, Mikan?" Mr. Narumi asked.

This was it. If she was going to say it, she had to say it now, right? Now's the right time. Go. Aim for it. Shoot.

"The only wild thing here is you're ridiculous outfit." Mikan snapped and looked over at Natsume. He had a manga on his face like always. "_Did he hear me?_" She wondered.

Mr. Narumi was flustered and blushed, obviously taken aback by this statement. Students would often speak their mind about what they thought of his outfit, but he never once heard such a rude comment coming from Mikan Sakura, the student he devoted his attention to and tried his best to help. He was the one who entered her into the academy after all. He even let her call him father, let her sleep in his bed on her first day in the academy when she was homesick!

The rest of the students gave muffle laughs. Mr. Narumi cleared his throat, and Mikan took her seat--next to Natsume.

"As I was saying," Mr. Narumi began, "there will be a fireworks display on the twentieth of August." he flipped his hair nervously, still disturbed by the former incident. "_Must... must be her PMS..." _he thought.

Mikan looked at Natsume. "_Did he hear me?" _she wondered. She continued to look at him and clutched the paper still in her pocket--she blushed. She blushed good and hard, turning several shades of pink and then red until she ended up looking like an over ripe tomato.

"What are you staring at strawberries?" Natsume's muffled voice came ringing from under his manga. "Na...Na...Natsume..." she stammered snapping out of her reverie and turning several deeper shades of red.

He took the manga off of his face and looked at her. "What's up with your face?" he asked, unamused and emotionless like always. "Did a giant tomato explode in front of you?" his tone of voice did not change.

"N...no…" Mikan replied, a bit taken aback. If he had confessed his attitude towards her would change, right? Even a little? Then why was he acting this way? "Acting? Yes! Maybe that's it. Right. He must be acting." Mikan thought as her face gradually became pink and turned back to its usual color.

She stared at him blankly for a minute. "Did you just call me strawberries again?" She asked, her Mikan-ness coming back to her.

"Yah...and so?" Came his monotonous reply.

Mikan scorned at him and pouted. She looked away quickly, and her untied hair flipped about and hit Natsume's face. Natsume swiped the brunette hair off his face and glared at Mikan.

Mikan noticed this, her heart thumped loud and hard. "What?" She asked as she turned to face him. Her heart beat loudly, so loudly that she thought that even Mr. Narumi might have heard it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi there people…umm…right…this is the third chapter…dunno if you like it but hell…here it goes…thanks to the people who reviewed the past ones even if they were just so few…WAAAH!!! (Bawls and gauges eyes out…and puts them back in…hehe) thanks for reading as well!!! MWAH MWAH!!! KIDDING!!! R&R pleeeeassseeee…..**

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"Why isn't your hair tied?" he asked her, his voice still monotonous that his question sounded more like a statement. "What's it to you, if it isn't tied?" Mikan replied, her eyes blinked several times in confusion.

What was he trying to say? That he liked it better when she had her hair tied? That he thought that she looked cuter with pigtails on? Even if she was 17? (No offense...it does look cute though, doesn't it? Never mind) That she had lost her Mikan-ness and the reason he fell for her if she had her hair down? Or that he tho...

"It made it easier to burn tied up." He said as he proceeded to put the manga on his face and try to fall asleep.

Mikan looked at him. Same old Natsume, nothing's changed. If this was acting, he was definitely good at it, the best Mikan had ever seen. But what if it wasn't? What if he really didn't care, and he wrote that letter when he was high or drunk?

Natsume, drunk? Not possible. He's never shown any signs of having a hangover or even the slightest hint that he liked alcohol. Besides he's a minor. The only alcohol that had ever touched Natsume's lips was the antibacterial kind, when Mikan was fumbling around a medicine cabinet for an ibuprofen to give a weak and drowsy Natsume after a mission, and took something in a bottle and mistook it for ibuprofen when she read the label. It was in English, never mind.

And if being drunk wasn't even a possibility, then being on drugs is out of the question. He had to be acting, right? Anyway, when she first came to the academy and had her first ever school festival, he had tricked her of getting off the carpet with his amazing acting, right? Surely this was just...acting.

She continued to clutch the letter. Mr. Narumi was blabbing some nonsense about Emc2 or whatever. With that outfit on who in the right mind would pay attention? What nonsens was he going on about anyway? What did he think he was? A tea...(wait...Mr. Narumi teaching science???)

"And who came up with this formula?" he asked. Sumire's hand shot up in an instant. "Yes Sumire?" he called on her. She stood up and flipped he hair. It was the same as ever, permy. She smiled widely. "The answer has to be Natsume Hyuuga." She said. And before the teacher (Oh, yes, I nearly forgot he was a teacher) could tell her she had given the wrong answer, she continued talking.

"That's because he's a genius and the best of the best," She beamed, "and since this is a fact, my answer might as well be Natsume Hyuuga." she smiled and sighed at the name. The other girls grinned and sighed as well. (That's the girls who are fans of Natsume...including ehem ehem...me haha...)

Natsume was obviously awake since he gave a stifled groan of annoyance and shrugged a bit. This was the fifth day that Sumire was at it. She answered every question the teachers asked with Natsume's name.

Yesterday Mr. Misaki asked the class what type of beetle ate droppings, And Sumire had absent-mindedly raised her hand, flipped her hair, stood up with an air of breeze and said, "Natsume Hyuuga." The whole class snickered, and Sumire turned red and defiantly sat back down, she really had to pay more attention to things that wasn't related to Natsume for once. Chyeaaa right... that'll never happen.

(**oh and yah…they have the same teachers here…as when they were 10…hehe**)


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi again…I'm back… this is quite short for a chapter… but oh well… and I'll try to add humor to the next one so…yea… R&R please… thanks… Oh and Sonya, don't get to upset over the PMS thing… mwahahahahaha… chuu….. hehe…**

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The recess bell rang and everyone stood up and got going. Everyone, that is except Mikan and Natsume. Mikan sat absently looking out the window contemplating over the best way to ask Natsume the question. To bring up the letter--that is. Her thoughts drifted from asking Natsume to the wonderful weather outside. The sakura trees were in full bloom. The birds chirped happily on the branches. Uh... the birds... that's right, she had to remember not to sit under the sakura trees at this time or she'd have a healthy helping of droppings lining her uniform. Those birds! They were pleasing to listen to chirp the whole day and watch as they jumped and flew from branch to branch. But boy do they give you a problem in washing your uni-...

"What are you still doing here?" Natsume asked, startling Mikan and breaking her form her conflict on whether birds were good to have around or not. Oh wait... that was my conflict.

"I just...wanted to... keep you company." She said as she looked at him--manga still covering his face. Natsume took the manga off his face and looked at her. His eyes squinted and fell on her blushing face--yes, she was blushing again, but this time it was just a light shade of red. "I don't need your company." He said coldly.

Mikan's heart felt like it just broke into a million pieces. That hurt, even if it was coming form Natsume. Wait, it hurt more _because_ it was coming from Natsume! How could he say such a thing?! Mikan started to well up but held back the tears.

Natsume continued to stare at her. He was waiting for her comeback, like Mikan usually gave. Something like,_ "Whatever mister!!! You just looked lonely so I decided to stay behind with you!!!" _but Mikan kept silent.

She couldn't hold back her water filled eyes, and tears started gushing out. Natsume's eyes grew wide. She'd usually put up a fight before giving in to childish fits. But her tears did not look like childish fits anymore. No, her tears looked like the ones you shed when something big and sharp pierced you, and instead of yelping out in pain, you cried.

"I... I just thought... I could... I could spend some time with you." she mumbled and ran out of the room, her sobs clearly audible.

Natsume stared after her. "What's up with her?...Hmm... must be her PMS..." He shrugged and put the manga on his face again.

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**There it is again!!! PMS...oys!!! Sonya!!!! hahaha...just kidding...wait...I'm gonna type the next chapter...that is...if people actually want to read it... waaah!!! (Sobs and runs into room... to type...) chuu... hehe...**


	5. Chapter 5

**Yo… people… fifth chapter… I hope it's funny… if it's plain dull and boring tell me… and I'll try my best with humor in the following chapters… yoroshiku ne!!! (sob sob sob) Don't you dare tell anyone, Sonya!!! I'll rip your guts out if you do!!! (Kidding…) well… here it goes…**

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Same old Natsume. Same cold diposition. Same uncaring attitude. So why did it bother Mikan to see him this way? Oh, that's right. The letter. If she hadn't read that letter, she'd be in the classroom bickering with Natsume. It's all that stupid letter's fault that she was sitting under a sakura tree (waiting for the birds' blessings) crying her eyes out.

Maybe, maybe the letter wasn't from Natsume. Or maybe it wasn't for Mikan. Or maybe both. "It's from him… definitely… and it's for me." Mikan told herself stubbornly. Another option could be that…

"Baka, what are you doing here?" It was another monotonous voice that made the question sound like a statement. It was a girl's monotonous voice. It was H…

"Hotaru…" (oh would you let me finish my narration first!) Mikan said. The voice was coming from the other side of the tree. "What are you doing here?" She asked as she crawled to where Hotaru was, in her hands was a camera.

"I just asked you that." Hotaru said, looking at something in the distance. Mikan followed her gaze and saw Ruka playing happily with a gigantic yellow chick. Mikan looked at Hotaru and sighed. "You love doing this, don't you?" she said, her sentence sounding more like a fact than a question. Hotaru looked at her briefly and her pupils turned into yen signs. Mikan sighed again.

"Shh…" Hotaru hushed her. She took out a tape recorder and pushed the red button to start recording. Mikan strained her ears. Oh what the f….

"Oh come here you big lump of yellow feathers!" Ruka said as he pet the gigantic chick, smiling. "Who's a good boy? Who's a good boy? Oh yes you are! Oh yes you are!" he continued saying to the bird which he addressed Peak Jr.

"Oh Peaky-kins! Oh Peaky-kins!" He started singing.

"You're the most wonderful being I've ever known!

You give me life!

With your very light!

And indescribable yellow feathers!

You're so bright! Oh yeah!

It doesn't hurt my sight!

Oh how I love you my Peaky-kins!"

He danced to his awkward rhythm, shaking his hips as he went along. He moved his hands up and down wildly as the bird tried its best to copy him. Mikan looked at Hotaru. She was holding a video cam.

"Peaky Peaky yeah yeah yeah!

Oooooh!!!

You're the most wo—what was that?!" he turned around abruptly. "Who's there?!" He demanded as he turned around and around frantically.

Mikan and Hotaru ducked behind the trees, Hotaru's hand over Mikan's mouth to keep her from giggling. Oh wait, to keep her from laughing her head off and giving off their location. Hotaru's pupils turned into yen sighs again.

"Come out of there!" Ruka shouted as he peered into the trees of different kinds, but to his dismay, he couldn't see anyone. "Must… must be my imagination." He told himself and walked away, the gigantic chick following him.

Hotaru released Mikan's mouth as soon as Ruka was out of sight and the longest hearing range possible. Mikan started to giggle and then burst into… "MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" she laughed and laughed and laughed, beating the ground as she went on laughing. She laughed maniacally…good and long and loud. She paused then…

"Mikan, what are you…"

"MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!" The maniacal laugh cut Hotaru off…then she paused again.

"Mikan, what are you d…"

"MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA—"

BAKABAKABAKABAKABAKABAKABAKABAKABAKABAKABAKABAKA

Hotaru blew off the steam from her baka gun.

"OUCH!!!" Mikan screamed as she rubbed her forehead. "What was that for?!"

"Mikan, what are you doing here?" Hotaru asked again.

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**It's longer than the other chapter at least… hehe… I hope you actually giggled… or felt like giggling… (sigh)… I'm no good at humor…**


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